Record-lifter



Patented July 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS SHEET I.

I llllll I lll ATTOR r J. MENCHEN.

RECORD LIFTER- APPUCATION FILED DY-23, I918. 1,347,548. Patented July27, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2,

NVEMTO 87 M y o/my from the turntable;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH MEN'CI-IEN, or NEW YORK, N. Y, ASSIGNOR To vAcumvrRnooRD LIFTER,LTD.,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW Application liled November 23,1918.

To aZZ whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, Josnrrr MnNorIEN, a citizen of the United States,and resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented a new and useful Record-Lifteryof which thefollowing is aspecification. The object of the invention is to providesimple and convenient means for lifting plate records from theturntables of talking machines. In my prior application, Serial No.208,660, filed December 24:, 1917, I have disclosed a resilient,collapsible suction cup record-lifterappliedto the reproducer. In thepresent invention the lifter is separate from the. reproducer mechanism,and maybe applied to any type of machine.

In the drawings; I t

Figure l is a plan view of a phonograph uncovered, with the inventionapplied thereto;

. Fig. 2 is a front elevation with the reproducer mechanism ininoperative position and the lifter in the act of raisinga record Fig. 3is an enlarged side elevation of the lifter shown in relation toaportionof the turntable. and record; 4

Fig. t'is a vertical section through the 'cup on a still larger scale;

Fig. 5 is asimilar view illustrating the cup partially flattened orcollapsed in order to obtain a grip upon the record;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the cup;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on a smaller scale through an alternativeform of cup Fig. 8 is a vertical section through still another form;

Fig. 9 is a sectiona'lside elevation of a form of lifter with telescopicarm; Y

li ig. lOis-a' cross-section on the line 101() of Fig. -9; and a Fig. 11is a vertical section through still another form of cup.

A phonograph case or cabinet is indicated at 1. Rising from it is theusual'vertical shaft 2 bearing a turntable or' record support 8. Ahollow reproducer arm 4 is swiv=- eled on a mountingfi behind theturntable so as .to swing laterally over the record in the usual manner.For purposes of illustration the reproducer mechanism is shown as ofthat type in which the swivel is constructed to sustain the arm againstdownward tilting, the sound-box 6 being carried Specification of LettersPatent.

YORK.

RECORD-LIFTER.

Serial No. 263,822.

by a gooseneck 7, which is swiveled on the forward end of the arm upon atransverse axis so that the sound-box and stylus can be thrown up andback to a supported, inoperative position.

A mounting 8, consisting desirably of a tubular stem having a basalscrew-hole flange, is secured to the case or frame 0 the machine, alsoin rear of the turntable and toward one side of the reproducer armswivel 5. The tube of this mounting receives the vertical rear extremity9 of a lifterarm 10, which overhangs the turntable at the inactive side,that is to say the side which is not swept by the reproducer. On theforward extremity of the arm is a downwardly ifacing, open mouth, rubbersuction cup 11, which, when the arm is depressed, is flattened out orcollapsed upon the record, so as to grip and lift the same when thedownward pressure is relieved. In the preferredembodiment the armconsists of a length of resilient wire rod, which is permanently benttopresent the short vertical rear portion 9, a long straight arm portionwhich is normally upwardly inclined so as to hold the cup in an elevatedposition, and a connecting coil or flexible resilient bend 12.

The arm is preferably of such length as to enable the cup to act uponthe smooth central portion of the record at a location at one side andslightly in front of the turntable post 13. Consequently when the armand cup are depressed to seize the record and then permitted to .rise,the record is tilted laterally and forwardy out from be- Patented July27, 1920.

neath the reproducer mechanism without striking the latter, in themanner indicated in Fig. 2, the flexibility of the cup permitting it tobend sidewise without releasing its grip.

Fig. 4 shows the rubber cup 11 vulcanized onto a stem 14, which projectsupwardly in the direction of the axis of the cup. Said stem contains asmall longitudinal opening 15, extending from its button-like top to theinterior of the cup, and constituting one form of vent orvacuum-breaker, forming an important feature of the invention. Asillustrated in Fig. 7, the vent may consist simply of a normally-openduct passing through the stem and the rubber at the top of'the cupcavity. In such case, when the lifter has been forced down and causedfinger being then removed and permitting the record to drop into theother .hand. Preferably, however a slightly delayed action is providedfor, sothat the vacuum will not be entirely relieved and the diskreleased immediately upon removal of the finger. This may beaccomplished by merely piercing the opening through the rubber, withoutsubstantial removal of material, with the result that the hole ispractically closed by its elastic wall and permits air to pass slowly,and consequently momentarydisplacement of thefinger during theupward-movement will not cause the record to fall prematurely. Amorereliable construction is secured by leaving the rubber of the top of thecup unpierced at the lower end of the channel in the stem, and by partlycutting out a small flap lfifwhich is not secured to the stem but liesclosely against it, substantially blocking the chan-' nel. 'For greatereifectiveness the end of the stem is formed with a recess and the top ofthe flap with a corresponding protuberance 17, compelling the air whichenters the cup to pursue a devious course, the flap being stiff enoughso that it does not become unseated to any material degree.

1 While thev combination of manual control of the vent with momentarilydelayed action. following removal of the finger is preferred, delayedaction alone may be relied upon, making thevent entirely auto matic. IThis is the case in Fig. 8, where the vent consists merely of astrangled perforation 15 through the thick part of the rub- 'ber wall ofthe cup, at one side of the stem 14. This' perforation is of suchcharacter that the vacuum does not become sufficiently relieved to'letgo of the record untilit has been raisedto the desired elevation by thespring arm.

' The vent may be embodied in still other ways. Fig. 11 shows aconstruction disclosed in my prior application. aforesaid but not thereclaimed, the same comprising a relatively large opening 15 in a stem14", with a spring-closed plunger valve 18, having a beveled or conicalhead on its lower endcooperating with a similar seat at the end of theopening. .In this instance the stem of the valve projects slightly abovethe holder stem 14 so that it may be unseated by thefinger. lVith such avalve the cup may be placed in free communication with the atmospherewhen it is forced upon the record, thus reducing the strain upon thewalls, and then before the lifting commences the finger may be takenoff, causing the cup to grip. After the record has been raisedthezvalveis again unseated, whereupon the 5 record is disengaged.

stem l4. may be formed with an eye, en-

abling it' to be adjusted on the arm and held a thereto by a set-screwl9.

r 'In Figs. 9 and 'lOthe arm is provided with a telescopic sleeve 20,which carries the cup, turning of the sleeve and cup being prevented bythe longitudinal rib and corrugation 21 seen in Fig. 10. This enablesthe lifterto be adjusted in or. out, or to be pushedback out of the way-In any of the forms the arm may be swung laterally upon its mounting,sothat the cup may be positioned over the desired part of the record, orswung entirely clear of the turntable if desired; I

Fromthe foregoing itwill be understood that in order to remove a recordfrom the turntable, it is merely necessary to push downward on thelifter until the cup grips the record, then, when the pressure isrelaxed, the resilience of the arm automatically raises the cupandrecord in the man- 'ner already described. .With the form' of ventshownin .Figs. 4 and 7, the stem of the cup follows the hand in theupward movement, so that the finger naturally bears upon the top of thestem and keeps the vent closed until the other hand'has been inserted Ibeneath the record.

I While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have beendescribed in detail, it is to beunderstood that other forms are notexcluded and that numerous changes and modifications may be made.

lVhat I claim as new is:

1. A lifting device suitable disk records from theturntable of aphonograph, comprising an overhanging tilting arm, depressible, andhaving means for for lifting 7 resiliently raising andsustaining it, anda flexible suction cup on said arm, said cup I having a flexible openmouthand depending upon its collapsibility for its suction effect andbeing capable of flexing sidewise with,- out releasing its grip. I I r2. A lifting device comprising a mounting, an arm consisting'of aresilient rod supported at one end in said mounting and adjacent thesame being coiled to form a spring hinge, and a collapsible suction cupon said arm. I I I 3. A lifting device comprising a mounting, atiltingarm extending from said mounting and having resilientv means forraising and sustaining it, and a collapsible suction cup on the arm. 14. A lift'ng device comprisinga mounta from said mounting, depressibleand selfraising, and a collapsible suctioncup on the arm. N

5. Alifting device comprising a mounting, an arm swiveled on saidmounting to swing laterally and being also tiltable vertia resilientoverhanging arm extending cally and having spring means for raising andsustaining it, and a collapsible suction cup on the arm.

6. A lifter comprising a flexible suction cup having an open flexiblemouth and depending upon its collapsibility for its "suction effect, andprovided With a delayedaction vent for relieving the vacuum andreleasing the article when lifted.

7 A lifter comprising a flexible suction cup having an open flexiblemouth and depending upon its collapsibility for its suction effect andhaving a vent passage adapted to be closed at its outer end by thefinger and provided with means for delaying the entrance of air when thefinger is removed.

8. A lifter comprising a collapsible resilient suction cup having anopen mouth and a handle and a vent adapted to be closed by the finger,and mechanical means for supporting said cup in an elevated position andfor permitting the same to be depressed, said means possessingresilience to raise the cup and cause it to follow the finger.

JOSEPH MENGHEN.

